Here's Your Letter
by Ceasefire
Summary: Kai has feelings for Tyson, but, never being one for words, decides to write him a letter instead. But when Daichi finds this letter instead of Tyson, what will happen? Will Daichi ruin their chance at love? KaiTyson, onesided KaiTala
1. Here's a Letter for You

This is for the Beyblade Yaoi community on LiveJournal; congrats on 100 members! This gift's a little late, but oh well

**Full Summary: **_When a rift is put between Tyson and Kai after the Bladebreakers split up, Kai begins to feel the desperate need to contact his former teammate and tell him of his feelings. But Kai, never being one for words, decides to write to Tyson instead. But when Daichi receives the letter instead and discovers Kai's feelings for Tyson, what will he do? Will he deliver the letter to Tyson, or will he feel no shame in breaking the two apart?_

**Note: **This is mainly based on the manga series of events, so if you see something that doesn't happen in the anime, that's probably why. I haven't seen G Revolution anime.

-X-

Perhaps it was the sudden fissure that made the Bladebreakers team change from the once happy group of friends to four aggressive rivals. Perhaps it was his rash decision to join the Demolition Boys instead of partnering Tyson for the GBC tournament. He knew he'd cut the younger boy deeply when he'd made that decision; Tyson had made it adamantly clear that he didn't think Daichi was up to their level of play, and Kai had been unwillingly reminded of a certain person that he used to think was far below his level, but now seemed infinitely above him, no matter how hard he tried.

At first, Kai assumed the feelings he felt for Tyson were purely platonic... a sort of friendly rivalry in which he was desperate to come out on top. It was a deep, burning craving of his soul; a desire he realized that was too profound to be simple friendship. At first he dismissed it, thinking that it would diminish if he left Tyson, and joined the Demolition Boys as an excuse to get away from him, to try and control the ever-growing strength of the urge to be close to Tyson. Instead, this simply magnified the craving, and the feeling had almost taken over him. His relationship with Tyson had developed from bitter rivalry, to friendship, to a love deeper than any other emotion he'd ever felt.

But the question was; what to do about it? He doubted he could look Tyson straight in the face and tell him how he felt. He doubted that he had ever been able to look directly into Tyson's eyes and tell him truthfully that he was in love with him. Those deep brown eyes clawed into his soul, dragged his most desperate secrets out into full view. With a simple glance from Tyson, Kai could feel his speech falter, and his eyes drop away from Tyson's face. It was the various things that had happened to them over the years that made him wince in guilt; when he had run off to join the Demolition Boys the first time, when he had gone after his teammates' bit beasts, when he had abandoned all contact with them and only shown up when there was a powerful challenger to be considered, and the one thing that had confirmed Tyson's lost faith in him; when he had snatched his hand away from Tyson's grip after realizing no-one considered him to be even a challenge to Tyson. That was why he left Tyson and Daichi to represent Japan by themselves.

He wanted to prove he was worthy of his own reputation, that he wasn't just one of Kinomiya's esteemed teammates. Everyone wanted to fight Tyson; they didn't see himself, Max or Ray as a challenge to their so-called skills. Tyson was highest ranked, the world champion, and Kai was just seen as one of his lackeys.

However, this sudden change of heart towards being on a team with Tyson presented an immediate problem. He couldn't stand being away from Tyson; when he had seen how distraught Tyson was over him having joined the Demolition Boys, it made him want to run straight over to Tyson and apologize, grab the inky-haired boy and...

No, this couldn't keep going on. It was a cycle both he and Tyson were caught in, probably without Tyson even realizing it. He needed to bring this matter to Tyson's attention, but how? Telling him straight out was out of the question already, if he didn't feel the same way, the rejection would shatter him... phoning? No, what if that moron, Tala overheard and decided to blab to everyone? He couldn't get anyone else to tell Tyson for him, it was so insincere... he had been insincere enough to Tyson in the past, and he was trying to repent his mistakes, not make them worse.

And then, an idea struck the teen.

A letter. A letter was a private, confidential thing; even Daichi would be able to realize that it was a classified thing, only to be looked on by Tyson. It was much easier to write your thoughts and feelings down instead of expressing them through word of mouth, goodness knows, he'd never been much of a talker anyway...

Having decided what to do, he dug around the near-bare hotel room. He could hear Tala lecturing Boris and Spencer in the next room, but he chose not to be part of most of their team activities, and the rest of the team accepted that. That didn't mean they liked it, but they accepted that he wanted to be left alone. Kai continued to look through the tall chest of drawers, the only place for personal storage in his hotel room, until he happened upon a pencil and a small writing pad, heavily embellished with the hotel's logo. Kai gripped the small, blunt pencil in his fist and let his eyelids droop, considering what he was about to do. Once he had written this letter, there was no more running away from his true feelings for Tyson, and no more wondering how Tyson felt about him. Letting a small sigh escape his mouth, he began to pour his heart into the piece of paper before him, in a nervous, uneven scrawl. He didn't know what drove him to write in the detail and emotion he used, but it seemed right. Tyson deserved all of what little he could offer him.

**(Letter)**

_Kinomiya._

_I don't know if this is really the right time to tell you this; we should both be concentrating on the tournament and not getting distracted by such meagre things as feelings. However, I doubt I'd be able to concentrate on the Tournament anyway, because I've fallen in love with you._

_Yes, Kinomiya, love. I know the meaning of the word. Perhaps you're the only lucky person that I've ever really cared about, the only person who ever showed concern for me, expecting nothing in return, and with motives that were truly sincere. And for that I will always hold respect for you, Kinomiya._

_I couldn't tell you this face to face, so this is what I'm writing to you for. Knock me back if you feel so inclined. I know that you seem to consider me your friend, and I can now relate to how that feels. Thanks for the friendship, Kinomiya. I feel no regret._

_Hiwatari Kai. _

**(End letter)**

Sitting back, Kai surveyed the short piece of writing he had just finished, seemingly satisfied with the results. He didn't dare give himself time to contemplate what he'd just written, the implications of his actions, or how he could make it better, at the risk of not giving the letter to Tyson at all. He folded the tiny piece of paper over on itself three times, hastily scrawled Tyson's name on the front, and walked out of his room calmly.

The other Demolition Boys looked up from their strategic planning briefly, Tala watched as Kai swept across the room, towards the door.

"Where are you going, Hiwatari?" Tala drawled, letting the corners of his mouth curve upwards very slightly.

"Out."

"So I see. Care to divulge to us the location?"

"Don't push your luck, Ivanov."

Tala snorted, and Kai took that as a "Get going, then" kind of gesture. The dual-haired teen slipped through the hotel room door, and Tala continued to stare at the door through which Kai had exited, seemingly transfixed on his own thoughts.

"Boss?"

Tala's head snapped around violently to meet Bryan's face. The paler Russian regarded his team leader suspiciously, his eyes narrowed and their colour dulling to a steely grey.

Tala's eyes narrowed and his eyes flared to their unnatural electric blue colour. "I don't see what your problem is. Now, I still say that Hiwatari and myself are still the best bets for the next round..."

The lavender-haired teen said nothing more, but kept a steely eye on his team leader for the rest of the meeting, seemingly contemplating what he'd just realized...

-X-

Rounding the corner, Kai gripped the letter tightly in his right palm, smudging the pencil scrawl of Tyson's name on the front of the paper. The BBA Revolution's room was the last room before another sharp right-angled turn that led to another corridor, dotted with the rooms the various teams were staying in. Striding down the corridor, Kai stood as still as a statue in front of Tyson's door, feeling his palm sweat from the tight grip he help on the note.

Suddenly, panic hit him and he subconsciously gasped. He couldn't do this! What if Tyson didn't feel the same? What if the letter fell into the wrong hands, and it made a laughing stock of him?

'_How could I have been so stupid?!_' Kai chastised himself viciously, scrunching the letter tightly in his hand. '_I was an asshole to him from the beginning! Why would he even dream of liking me?!'_

All too suddenly, a voice sounded from behind the door and he froze.

"Tyson! Where are you going?" Kenny's voice called.

"Out," came the short reply from just behind the door, and Kai sucked in a desperate breath.

"Fine, but be back in time for dinner, we're going to discuss strategies for tomorrow!"

"Okay, Kenny."

"Be back soon, my little disciple!" Daichi called sarcastically, and Kai heard an enraged snort from Tyson.

"Clamp it, Daichi!"

The door handle began to click and turn, and Kai bit his lip violently, feeling the metallic taste of blood spread across his tongue. Swiftly, he jammed the severely crumpled note under the door, and dashed around the corner, placing his back to the wall and taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. He did not pull away from the wall until he heard Tyson's footsteps fade and finally disappear. Then he started walking calmly down the hall, back to the Demolition Boys room, not daring to look back and see if Tyson had picked up his note or not.

-X-

"You know Daichi, you've really gotta stop being so rude to Tyson!" Kenny snarled.

"Aww, c'mon Chief! We were just kidding around..." Daichi grinned, only enraging the bespectacled boy further.

"You two are impossible! These beybattles are serious business for me, but you can't seem to keep your mind on them, let alone Tyson, who can barely concentrate on anything these days! Come see me when you grow some brains!" Kenny snapped, grabbing his laptop and walking huffily into his room, slamming the door loudly behind him.

"Ooh, who's got PMS, then?" Daichi snickered quietly and sarcastically to the door, which obviously didn't reply. The short red-haired boy looked around for something more interesting to do than joking about Kenny behind his back. He then noticed a small piece of crumpled, damp, smudged paper sticking out from under the door. His brows rose in curiosity, and he jumped over the back of the couch he was sitting on and wandered idly towards the door.

"Must be some note from the BBA informing us about tomorrow's match..." he mumbled, bending down to grab the note.

"'Dear Tyson', huh? Damn, they have some nerve only addressing it to him! I'm part of this team too! And do you think they could have made an effort at typing this up? It's so smudged I can barely read it! Talk about a low-budget company... stupid BBA..." Daichi grumbled, unfolding the note slowly.

'_Wait a sec… what in the world is this?' _Daichi wondered, letting his eyes skim the note. "Heh... Hiwatari? In love with TYSON? Jeez, this is like a bad soap opera my mum would watch! _I will always hold respect for you, Kinomiya… Thanks for the friendship, Kinomiya... I have no regret… _hah, this is rich!" Daichi cackled. An idea suddenly entered his mind, and a sly grin crossed his face.

"I could have some fun with this... Tyson and Kai had better be prepared!"

-X-

Tyson stood on the roof of their hotel, letting the wind ruffle his inky-blue hair lightly. With Kenny and Daichi's bickering, it was hard to think about beybattling, let alone all the other things that were on his mind...

Feeling the breeze once again pick up and brush his bangs gently around his face, Tyson shut his eyes; absorbing the last warmth the dying sunset was offering the city, and letting his mind wander from the upcoming beybattles and challenges he would face, to a place he always enjoyed being... a place with a certain ex-teammate of his...

"Oh, Kai..."

-X-

So, what did you think? Now for what happens with the note, there are a few things to consider...

Daichi could give either Tyson or Kai the letter, either will have its outcomes. Daichi could tell Tyson outright, or Kai could get sick of waiting and tell Tyson outright. There are a million things to consider, but as for what will actually happen, you'll have to wait for the second and final chapter of this fic.

So, what are you waiting for? Start reviewing! I'll update quicker, the more reviews I get.


	2. I can't let this kill me

This will be the second-last chapter of this fic unless you want another chapter after that. A lot of people think Daichi's a mongrel now... actually, I think he's awesome, and he wasn't supposed to be the 'bad guy' in this fic at the beginning, but things change... snaps to you if you know who it was supposed to be. And don't kill me for the beginning of this chapter...

This chapter contains a bit of Rei/Mao, so if you don't like, skip over it. It's not essential to the storyline. Just don't go 'Eww! Rei/Mao!' and say I didn't warn you in your reviews.

Anyway, thanks for all your reviews, threats and suggestions! You guys rock.

**Warning: **Manga storyline-based.

-X-

"Hiwatari, can you leave the hotel room without getting into some sort of fight?"

Mahogany eyes twitched towards the speaker. Tala scowled at the ex-Bladebreaker, and Kai blinked placidly.

"Fight, Ivanov?"

Tala grinned sarcastically, and placed his hands on his hips. "Hiwatariyour bottom lip is bleeding."

Kai's eyes widened very slightly, and he ran his fingers along his bottom lip, feeling the sweat on his fingertips sting the cut from where he had violently bitten down on his bottom lip just fifteen minutes before, and being reminded of the event made his nerves return at full speed. He'd carelessly shoved the note under the door and had been wandering throughout the hotel until he'd found his way back to the Demolition Boys hotel room, and hadn't given it a second thought, until this moment... the cleaners could take the letter as a piece of rubbish and throw it out… and then the cycle would start all over again.

Either that, or he'd have to tell Tyson to his face. Neither option was desirable.

Kai broke out of his thoughts and once again faced Tala, but he froze rigid on the spot when he saw what Tala was doing. The redhead was slowly, cautiously reaching out, towards Kai's face, his thumb extended. He was moving as if Kai was a dangerous animal.

The only part of Kai's body that moved was his eyes; he wanted to pull away but he was frozen in place, unable to move, as though his whole body had just been encased in ice. Kai felt trapped; his breathing faltered as Tala drew his thumb across his bleeding lip, smearing the droplets of blood across his gloved finger. The Russian teen surveyed the stain the blood had caused on the fabric for just a moment, before letting his arm drop to his side and taking two cautious, slow steps back. Kai was breathing so fast that he was almost hyperventilating; he looked strained, and felt as though he'd just swallowed a large block of ice and it was now making its way uncomfortably down to his stomach.

Kai took one rigid step back towards the door, then rapidly spun around, gripped the door handle and ran out of the room.

Tala sighed, shutting his eyes and letting himself relax. He flopped down on one of the four couches in the lounge room that he and the other Demolition Boys shared, and surveyed the bloodstain on his thumb amusedly. The stain had spread a bit, and now covered almost the entire tip of his thumb. Despite himself, Tala grinned down on the stain, and then found that he was looking towards the door. He tugged the material off his hand, and realized that the fluid must have seeped through the material and onto his skin. There was tiny droplet of blood on the tip of his thumb, and it rolled down his finger, and across his palm, where it finally came to rest in the middle of the boy's hand.

_'What goes on inside your head, Hiwatari Kai?' _Tala paused, his fist clenching slightly, making the drop of Kai's blood disappear into nothingness. Remembering when Kai had gone out earlier that day, and being almost sure about whom he was actually going to see, Tala shut his eyes, letting a barely distinguishable sigh escape his mouth… _'But then again, I don't think I was ever going to be the one to understand you…'_

Kai continued to run down the hallways of the hotel, having no idea where he was actually going. He saw a flash of pink beside him but he pushed past whoever it was, knocking them to the ground. Someone called his name, but he didn't stop; he had suddenly felt claustrophobic in the hotel; he needed to get out into the fresh air and clear his thoughts. The taste of his own blood was still fresh on his tongue; Tala's touch had done nothing to halt the blood from flowing.

Rei stood, stunned in the middle of the hallway. He'd known Kai for three years, yet he doubted he'd ever seen the older boy panic quite like that. He'd seen him get stressed during battles, get angry at Tyson and the rest of the team for eating too much, not following his instructions, not concentrating during training or actual battles, and for many other things… but he'd never seen him run like that, with such panic on his face…

A groan broke Rei from his contemplation; he looked towards the floor and realized that Kai must have knocked Mao off her feet; she was rubbing her temple in a bemused manner, staring after Kai with an expression of sheer shock on her face, and sitting flat on her backside.

"Are you alright, Mao?" Rei asked, grasping the pink-haired girl's hand and pulling her to her feet.

"I'm fine Rei, but..." she looked towards the corner Kai had disappeared around. "I don't think Kai was."

"I have to agree," Rei said, tightening his grip on Mao's hand. "It's not like him to panic like that..."

Mao nodded in agreement. "I hope he's alright…"

Rei grinned. "I do too. I don't Tyson could live without Kai, if anything happened to him." He draped his arm around the girl's waist lightly. "I don't what I'd do without you."

Mao blushed, and the two continued to walk down the hallway towards their hotel room, unaware that a pair of chocolate brown eyes was watching them.

Tyson sighed and shut the door of his hotel room once again, having just opened it seconds before to see Rei telling Mao how much he cared about her. Nearly everything he saw reminded him of his predicament in some way; he ran his fingers through the front of his hair, looking world-weary.

'Kai and I could be like that, if I wasn't such a coward…' 

-X-

Kai was on the roof of the hotel, feeling the cool breezes rush across his skin. He had found his way out here after walking blindly around the hotel for about ten minutes. He was actually doing that a lot lately; the staff must have thought he was insane. This place had a calming effect on him at this time of day; the sunlight was submitting its place to the night; the sun was casting its final rays of light across the horizon, the moon was already drifting across the sky lazily, and stars were scattered across the dark blue heavens.

He always enjoyed coming up here at this time, usually to get away from Tala's constant prying. Tala's apparent affection for him was beginning to concern him, and apparently, he was no better at making someone face rejection than he was at admitting what he felt. When it came to the redhead, Kai felt blank; he felt nothing for him at all. Then again, the Russian did at least show some of concern for him, whilst Tyson seemed to be avoiding him…

Being out here didn't help; the dark blue sky, the calming and cool breeze brushing across his face, and the dark red of the horizon fading into the dark. Somehow, all of this reminded him of Tyson in a way.

Kai heard the creak of the door that lead back down to the hotel behind him, and he chose to ignore it. No one was really worth the effort anymore; he felt that ever movement he made exhausted his energy. The wind picked up slightly and his brow furrowed. It sent his scarf flailing out behind him wildly, and he grasped at it irritably, trying unsuccessfully to get it to lie flat against his back. After a few more tetchy swipes at the loose material, Kai gave up, letting the scarf fly wildly around his body.

It was at that point that the fabric stopped fluttering around his head, and he felt a sharp yank backwards from whoever was holding cloth. Kai's head snapped around and a scowl replaced the calm expression that had previously been on his face, but his mind went utterly and blissfully blank when he realized who it was.

Tyson grinned, dropping Kai's scarf and blinking tiredly. "Good evening, Hiwatari. Long time, no see."

-X-

"**DAICHI!**" Kenny shouted from the small office-like room they had decided would be their 'strategic research centre' as Kenny called it, or 'where Kenny lives', as Daichi liked to call it.

"What do you want, Kenny?" Daichi asked without much concern, not looking up from the extra large hot chocolate fudge and marshmallow sundae he had convinced Room Service to bring him an hour after dinner was actually finished.

"I need Tyson to test out Dragoon before Monday's matches! Can you do and find him for me?"

Daichi looked shattered, and then his eyes fell to the half-finished ice cream sundae in his lap. "Can't I just finish my dessert first?"

At this point in time, Kenny emerged from the small room where he worked and clenched his fist. "Is the match on Monday or your stomach more important?"

"… Do I have to answer that?" Daichi whined, collecting the chocolate fudge that had stuck to the side of the glass bowl with his spoon, and then shoved the whole lot into his mouth.

Kenny stormed over to the short, redhead boy and snatched the ice cream bowl from him. The bespectacled boy then tipped the entire remaining contents down the kitchen sink, washing the bowl with a small portion of water from the tap.

**" What are you doing?!" **Daichi thundered, running over to the small kitchenette with tears streaming down his face. "Look what you've done to my sundae!"

"Serves you right for putting your stomach ahead of your team," Kenny said huffily, placing the now empty and clean bowl on the drainer beside the sink. The shorter boy then proceeded to shove Daichi towards the hotel room door. "Don't come back until you've found Tyson!"

The door was slammed behind Daichi, and the beyblader sighed heavily, as though the entire weight of the world had just been placed on his shoulders. "Okay, might as well start from the top and go down," he murmured, itching aggressively behind his ear. Daichi then began to head toward the exit that led to the roof of the hotel, dragging his feet as he went.

-X-

"So Kai… how have you and the Demolition Boys been getting on?"

Kai and Tyson were leaning against the railing that guarded the perimeter of the building's roof, gazing out upon the blazing, flickering neon lights of the city they were staying in. Until this point, they had been caught in a peaceful, comfortable silence whilst occasionally stealing glances at one another, and Kai wondered why Tyson had suddenly broken the peaceful atmosphere, but he figured that he should answer the boy's question. He considered telling Tyson about Tala's bizarre displays of affection towards him, but what can out of his mouth was, "We've been getting on alright."

Tyson turned towards Kai and grinned at him, causing a light heat to rise to the slate-haired teen's cheeks. "Daichi's been driving Kenny up the wall, but other than that, we're going okay."

Kai felt the corners of his mouth tug upwards at this; Daichi could probably drive the most tolerant person in the world to suicide.

There was silence for about half a minute more after that, and the two boys fell back into a trance caused by the glittering city lights. Tyson sighed; he'd wanted to ask Kai ever since he had left him, and now seemed like the right time for it…

"Kai?"

"Kinomiya?"

Tyson smiled rather shyly, and took in a lungful of air before continuing. "I've been meaning to ask you, and I know it's a little belated, I suppose…" Tyson once again paused, Kai turned to look at his ex-teammate, the look in his eyes prompting Tyson to continue.

"Kai, why did you leave the Bladebreakers for the Demolition Boys?"

Kai's gaze softened very slightly. "Kinomiya…"

"Don't worry Kai, you don't have to soften the blow for me or anything, because I think I had something to do with it…" Tyson laughed half-heartedly, and then continued. "I mean, I'm sorry if I did anything to make you leave, but…" Tyson looked Kai straight in the eye, and Kai could see that Tyson was pouring his heart out to him. "I really do miss being on a team with you. I mean, I miss Max and Rei too," Tyson added hastily, realizing how it must have sounded, and then realizing he'd wanted it to sound that way in the first place. "And I have to admit, when you hit my hand away like that, at the GBC qualifiers, it kinda hurt my feelings…"

"Tyson…" Kai whispered, now listening to the midnight-haired boy intently for any hint that he may have found his letter after all.

"Kai, I really did miss you after you left!" Tyson was almost shouting now, and sounded like he was bordering on being hysterical.

"Tyson, calm down! You speak of nothing!" Kai placed a hand upon Tyson's shoulder, and the younger boy reached up to slap it away. His hand, however, came in contact with Kai's lip, and Kai immediately felt a warm, thick taste spread across his tongue. His hand left Tyson's shoulder, and he ran the tips of his fingers across his lip. Sure enough, Tyson had reopened the cut on his lip, and it was now bleeding again, but certainly not as much as before. The salt in the sweat on his fingertips stung the sensitive flesh, and he hissed softly, trying his best to lick and wipe the blood from his lip.

The soft whisper that had escaped Kai's lips had been enough to make Tyson turn around and look at the two-toned teen with concern. He immediately noticed the red smear of blood on Kai's fingers, and his stomach jumped with guilt.

"Kai, did I hurt you?"

Kai shook his head, whilst still trying to stem the bleeding. "It was an old cut."

Tyson's brow furrowed in concern, and he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Kai. Let me have a look at it for you."

"Kinomiya, you aren't my mother," Kai said, wiping at the small incise hastily, yet nothing would stop it from bleeding that little bit.

At this time, Tyson grabbed Kai's shoulders and repositioned him so that they were able to stare directly into each other's eyes. And without warning, the world seemed to freeze in its spot. The wind ceased to blow, there seemed to be no sound coming from anywhere, and the lights of the city seemed to pale in comparison when compared to the glowing looks on their faces.

Tyson slowly reached up, and drew his index finger across Kai's bottom lip, and this time, the dual-haired boy did not flinch, or feel uncomfortable at all. Tala's touch had made him feel as though he had been frozen to his very core, but Tyson's touch made his soul ignite with heat he'd never experienced before; this felt like the right thing to be doing with Tyson, the one he loved. Kai's breathing slowed and keeping his eyes open suddenly became a strenuous task as Tyson's finger traced across his cheek, smearing his face paint the slightest bit. Tyson's hand was now roving towards his hairline, and smoothing a strand of hair back from his ex-team captain's face delicately, Tyson feel that a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders when he was with Kai. The stress of beybattles, competitions and challengers suddenly left him, and he felt free.

Kai's mouth was rapidly going dry, so he licked his lips, and realized that the cut had stopped bleeding. This became a minor thing, however, when he felt Tyson's callused fingers slide up his neck and to the darker part of his hair. Kai gulped as he felt Tyson's grip on the back of his head tighten, and their sudden closeness made him want to fidget in anticipation.

"Kinomiya..." Kai breathed, looking down upon the younger boy with hunger on his face.

"Yes, Kai?" Their gazes met, Tyson's eyes like melting chocolate delving into Kai's rich crimson stare.

Kai took a chance and pressed his face towards Tyson's, and the world champ's eyes drooped lazily shut and he parted his lips slightly, begging for Kai to kiss him. Kai gave in to his desire and let his eyes close too, but not pausing for a moment to consider anything else. He was with Tyson, he could feel his warm breath brush across his lips and cheek, and all else was irrelevant. They were so close…

"Tyson!"

Kai's eyes shot open that the speed of a bullet train and he swiftly broke his embrace with Tyson, who was seemingly stunned; either by his name being called, or by Kai's sudden withdrawal. Daichi was leaning against the exit door, a rather supreme expression on his face.

"Gee, if you didn't want company, you should've told me before you went barging out of the hotel room."

Tyson felt colour rise to his cheeks and he faltered, looking back at Kai for an instant, but not really knowing what to say.

"Kenny's looking for you," Daichi commented matter-of-factly, scratching under his nose animatedly. "I think he wants to discuss strategies."

Tyson nodded, and strode slowly towards the exit door. Daichi moved to the side of it like an armed escort, and ushered Tyson back into the hotel. The world champ glanced back at Kai, and flicked his fingers into the air in silent goodbye, but he paused at the top of the stairs. "Daichi, aren't you coming?"

"In a second, Tyson. I have a bone to pick with Hiwatari here," the redhead boy stated conversationally, and Tyson nodded and began the journey back down to the hotel and the real world, and it seemed so strenuous to know that he'd just lost a chance to be with Kai… but perhaps, if he was lucky, and perhaps even a little cautious, there would be a next time…

-X-

Kai regarded Daichi, who had not moved since Tyson had left.

"Sumeragi, tell me what you want, or leave me be."

Daichi grinned, and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Hiwatari, I have something that may interest you."

Kai's eyebrows shot into his hairline skeptically, and he rolled his hand around in the air in a 'get on with it' gesture.

Daichi pulled a small, crumpled piece of white paper out of his pocket and waved it around in the air triumphantly. Kai frowned for a minute, confused, until the terrible realization of what the piece of paper actually was. And sure enough, he could just make out his own smudged, uneven scrawl written across the front of the document.

_Tyson's Letter._

Daichi grinned at the look of horror plastered across Kai's face, apparently enjoying every minute of it.

"It's amazing what you can just find lying around, Hiwatari."

-X-

**Notes: **The next chapter shall probably be the last, and it probably won't be up for at least a month or two. I have to stay at my mum's place for the next four weeks, and I'll only get time to write on weekends when I visit my Dad's. So please understand that the next update might be a little later than this one. However, one thing that would help me along is a nice review… thanks for reading!


	3. Do You Still Feel The Same Way?

Yay, finally chapter 3! Thanks to all who reviewed, I'm glad I got a good response from this fic.

Kinomiya is Tyson's family name, and Sumeragi is Daichi's. Sorry for not explaining that, to those who were wondering. Sorry for any OOC-ness. Gaia Dragoon is Strata Dragoon. It was Gaia Dragoon in my manga and I think it sounds better. Oh yeah, Hilary will be in this chapter. The reason for her absence is passable too, I must say.

Pairings for this chapter: Kaitaka, a bit of ReiMao, and a little bit of Tala/Hilary, although it's really only friendly concern.

**-X-**

The two people on the roof stared each other down, standing rigid against the chill breeze that has picked up around them, blowing their hair across their faces and ruffling their clothes. Goosebumps formed on the back of Daichi's neck, partly from the cold wing blowing against his exposed skin, and partly from the gaze Kai had locked on him.

Kai was staring at him with mixed expressions flitting across his usually blank face. Shock was definitely there, and perhaps even a slight flicker of apprehension. However, those two small emotions could not compare to the way anger was spreading across the older teen's face. Like wildfire, Kai's eyes suddenly lit up with fury, and Daichi took an uncertain step back from him, and surveyed the Demolition Boy carefully while watching for any sign of movement.

It came abruptly, and Daichi suddenly became aware that he hadn't been prepared for Kai's anger to be of this calibre. He had always seen Tyson's former teammate as a calm and collected person, knowing exactly when to act, and never making his move until he was positive it was the right time. Having beybattled him quite a few times, Daichi knew that Kai was never one to make his weaknesses or strategies known to his opponent, and aside from when beyblading pulled him into some social situation, he generally kept to himself.

Perhaps that was why Daichi was so surprised when Kai's suddenly made a dash for the letter that was still clutched in his hand, like a wild animal going for it's prey.

Daichi, who was thankfully still perched against the door that led back down to the hotel, followed his instinct and grasped at the door handle behind his back, twisted it violently and spun around the frame of the door, slamming it violently behind him, just as he turned to see Kai's pace slowing to a casual walk. Daichi pressed his back against the door, waiting for Kai to try and open it, but no attempt came. Instead, a low hiss came from under door, and Daichi felt an uncomfortable chill slide down his back when he heard Kai's voice.

"Give that to me, Sumeragi."

Daichi opened his mouth to reply, but no sound emerged from his throat. A soft sound of amusement came from the other side of the door, and Kai spoke again. "You have no right to be holding that letter, now _give it back._"

Daichi's mind was swimming with possible options. He could lock the door from the inside and leave Kai out there, or he could give the letter to Tyson and leave Kai to face the consequences... or he could rebuke Kai for his choice of communication. The redheaded boy's face creased into a frown as he considered his choices. Finally, being the person he was, Daichi decided on the third option.

"You're a coward, Hiwatari!" he snapped, earning a snort from the older boy.

"Which one of us is hiding behind the door?"

Daichi ignored Kai and continued with his rebuttal. "You act like you have no fears, yet when push comes to shove, you're terrified of your own emotions!" Kai didn't reply, so Daichi continued. "You and Tyson are exactly the same. You're both the _big, strong, confident _Beybladers but get you away from the stadium and you have no courage to face what you know you feel yet you can't come to terms with!" There was still no response from Kai. Daichi felt his anger rise; it was anger and frustration for his friend Tyson.

"Hiwatari, if you haven't realized that Tyson feels the same way that you do by now, you really don't deserve to have him!"

At his point in time, Daichi did feel the sudden force of Kai opening the door, and jumped out of the way just in time to prevent himself from being jammed between the door and the adjacent wall.

Kai stared directly at Daichi, his expression unreadable. "What?"

Daichi frowned and planted his hands onto his hips, trying to make up for his lack of height with a confident posture. "He didn't want to partner me at all in this tournament. It was going to be you and him, conquering the world together, going up against Max and Rei and proving you were the best. But your selfishness and cowardice really did put a dent in those plans in the end, and you took off to join the Demolition Boys. Max, Rei and you all abandoned Tyson for the sake of self-glorification, and I can understand that, because I need to become the best in memory of my Dad..." Daichi paused for a moment, and then glared at Kai once again, "but you're the only one of the group who didn't do it for the sake of taking your skills higher than Tyson's, and although you make think it was, you really know that you were just scared of what would happen if your love for Tyson became too obvious! Rei and Max also had people they cared about on their teams; Max had his mother, and Rei had Mao and the rest of his old friends, but you hate the Demolition Boys, and you know you're just using them as a reason to get away!"

Kai stood perfectly still, eyes slightly widened and mouth open, taking tiny gulps of air every few seconds. "Why are you telling me this, Sumeragi?"

"Although it's not really in the same category of love… I never said goodbye to my dad when he died, or said how much I'd cared. But I made him a promise, a promise that I swore I was gonna keep. You broke your promise of fighting on a team with Tyson. And later is never better. One day you'll just lose his trust entirely."

Daichi held his hand out to Kai, and the slate-haired teen stared at the dishevelled letter in the boy's palm. It was thoroughly creased from being folded and held in so many different ways, the writing, which had been almost unreadable in the first place due to Kai's nerves, was now completely illegible. The edges were rough and slightly torn.

Kai reached out cautiously to take the letter, and although he now realized that Daichi would leave telling Tyson to him alone, he felt a strange rush of relief when the paper was back in his hands.

_'This letter... it represents all I've been through with Tyson... it represents our relationship.' _Kai looked down at the letter in his hand bitterly. _'At the moment... it's almost destroyed. It's almost gone and it slips further towards being destroyed with every passing moment...'_

He shut his eyes slowly, and slipped the letter into his back pocket. _'And only I can repair the damage that has been done.'_

"Thank you, Sumeragi."

Daichi's eyes fleeted towards Kai, and the teen let his head move forward in a quick, jerking nod. He then turned on his heel and began to head back towards the hotel room. _'I'm sorry Tyson...' _Kai thought, clenching his fist in determination.

A moment after Kai had disappeared from Daichi's line of site, the Japanese boy nodded, satisfied that his words had got through to Kai for the sake of his teammate. Knowing he'd given Kai the push in the right direction that he had needed, the owner of Gaia Dragoon headed back towards the BBA Revolution hotel room.

**-X-**

Tyson Kinomiya was lying on his bed in the room he and Daichi were sharing for the tournament. Hilary had, of course, insisted on a separate room (although she hadn't been around to enjoy her 'privacy' much, choosing instead to go into the bustle of the nearby city), and Kenny had apparently needed his own room for 'peace and quiet' while he was doing research, so he'd managed to find himself stuck in a small room with Daichi, with the only furniture in the room being the two worn-out single beds for them to sleep on. Their suitcases were in the corner and their contents was strewn everywhere.

The teen's mind vaguely wondered why Daichi had needed to talk to Kai. What if he was crushing on Kai too? It was highly unlikely, as well as disturbing. About the only thing Daichi loved was food. He'd probably end up marrying the owner of a grocery store chain. And then he could have Kai to himself...

Tyson's face reddened at the thought of being married to Kai. Waking up with his warm breath caressing his face, body against body, opening his eyes to have Kai's deep mahogany eyes staring back at him, Kai moving forward to kiss him... that would be true bliss. And before, they had been so close…

There was a loud knock at the door, and Tyson snapped back to reality. A muffled call from Kenny asked Tyson to get the door, so the world champ sighed and rolled off the bed. He slipped into his shoes and didn't bother doing up the laces, but regretted this when he tripped over his own feet on the way to open the door. The midnight-haired teen cursed violently, before tucking his laces into his shoes and hauling himself off the ground. He twisted the handle and shut his eyes supremely, assuming Daichi would be at the door.

"Boy, you sure took your sweet time."

Icy blue eyes flashed and a broad smirk flashed across the pale face.

"I didn't know you were expecting me."

Tyson's eyes shot open to see Tala standing in the doorway, eyes shining in bizarre amusement. "Now, we need to have a little chat, Kinomiya."

Tala grabbed the Japanese boy by the bottom of his shirt and began dragging him towards the elevator at the end of the hall. Tyson tried to wriggle out of the Russian's grasp, but it wasn't doing any good. Tyson's next instinct told him to scream.

**"I'm being molested! Someone help!" **Tyson hollered at the top of his lungs. Tala paused, and turned around to look at Tyson. "You moron, Kinomiya, I'm not that desperate."

"Oh, thanks," Tyson snorted. "That makes me feel so much better."

Tala prodded the buttons on the elevator impatiently. Finally, the sharp ringing sound that signalled the elevator had arrived sounded, and the doors slowly slid open. The elevator was unoccupied, and Tala pushed Tyson into the empty vessel and followed shortly after. The doors shut behind the redhead, and he hit the button for the ground level.

"The lobby?" Tyson asked.

"The common room in the lobby, to be more accurate," Tala replied, leaning casually against the wall of the elevator.

"Why?" Tyson asked, scratching the back of his head.

"We have to discuss the matter of Hiwatari."

"Kai?" Tyson asked, feeling a light heat rise to his face. "What do you need to know? Is anything wrong?"

"We'll talk when we get to the common area."

For the remainder of the elevator trip, the two teens regarded each other in total silence. They were on nearly the highest floor of the hotel, and the time clicked by slowly as the lights above the door lit up every time they passed another floor. Finally, the lift jerked to a halt, and the door skimmed open with an irritating 'ping' sound.

As the doors opened wider, both of the boys could see that the common room was already occupied. The White Tigers and the All-Starz were sitting on the couches, friendly chatter passing between both teams and their members.

Tala grunted, shut his eyes for a moment, and gestured for Tyson to follow him into the common room. Tyson nodded jarringly and stepped out of the elevator just as the door began closing. Max looked away from Lee, whom he had been talking to, and grinned at the two newcomers. "Hey Tyson! Nice to see you. And Tala..."

Max paused as he realized all of his teammates with the exception of Rick had gone harshly silent at Tala's appearance. Apparently they still hadn't forgiven him for the incident with Biovolt a few years beforehand.

"I think we'll be going now," Michael said stiffly, getting to his feet and turning to leave.

"We just got here, Michael!" Rick muttered gruffly, folding his arms across his chest.

"There's no point in fighting with him," Emily sighed, getting to her feet. She looked at Max apologetically before she and Rick both followed Michael towards the lift. Eddy soon followed.

Max sighed and stood up. "Sorry about this guys. I wanted to talk with you more, but Michael's so stubborn."

"That's okay Max," Mao shrugged.

"I'm sure we'll catch up with you again soon," Rei grinned, sliding his arm around Mao's shoulders.

Max smiled gratefully at his friends, and nodded to Tyson. "Sorry we didn't get to talk more, buddy."

"No worries, I'll catch up with you sooner or later, Maxie!" Tyson exclaimed waving to his friend as the blonde walked out of the large room.

Kevin looked at Tala and Tyson amusedly, his head tilted slightly to one side. "What're you two doing down here? I always thought of you two seeing each other as..." the Chinese boy paused, considering his words, "Rivals?"

"I could say the same for your team and the All-Starz," Tala stated in reply, and Kevin flinched. "Now, Kinomiya and myself have some rather important issues to discuss with one another."

That was an implication to leave, and although curious as to what they were going to talk about, the White tigers felt it was a good idea to leave, and perhaps if whatever Tyson and Tala were discussing worked out, they'd see the after effects of their conversation sooner. Then again, it might not have been something they didn't want anyone else to find out about, and their privacy was to be respected.

Lee stood up from the crouching position he'd been in, leaning against the armrest of the sofa Rei, Mao and Kevin had been sitting on, and gestured to his friends. "Come on, let's get back to our room."

Gary and Kevin both got up and slouched out of the room, Kevin stretching his cramped muscles along the way by swinging his arms around in a pendulum-like rhythm. Once they were out of the room, Tala cast his glare back to Rei and Mao, who were still sitting on the couch. Mao was mid-yawn and Tala's irritable gaze stayed on her until she'd reopened her eyes. Rei rolled his up towards the heavens at Tala's impatient behaviour, and got to his feet, grabbing Mao's hand and pulling her to her feet too.

"See you around, Tyson," Rei muttered, shooting one last snappish glare at Tala, who immediately matched it, before retreating from the room and heading towards the elevator with Mao.

Tala snorted and Tyson dragged his thoughts away from his former teammate and the pink-paired girl, too look at Tala, only to find a look of pure disgust on his face.

"Affection..." Tala began, lowering himself slowly into a early reclining armchair and sitting nervously, as though thousands of sharp blades were about to burst through the cushion and impale him.

"Huh?" Tyson muttered curiously, his eyes watchful as the Russian placed his elbows on his knees and linked his fingers together, partly covering his face. It was somehow strange to see Tala in a strange, half-relaxed slouching position instead of his usual upright position and alertness.

"Affection... love... the feelings people hold for each other..." Tala restarted, ice blue eyes observing the midnight-haired teen over the steeples of his gloved fingers. "I find it disgusting."

"Why?" Tyson questioned, sitting down on the couch Mao and Rei has previously occupied. Tala suddenly seemed totally unaware of his presence.

"I find it nauseating, but..." Tala paused, and he subconsciously parted his hands and clenched his fists. "Sometimes the urge is too strong to ignore... it takes over you. I could never fully understand why I did it..." Tala stared down at his gloved hand, and Tyson glanced at it as well. An unpleasant, chilled feeling ran through his body when he noticed the small, dark red stain on the thumb of Tala's glove. _'It couldn't be...' _he looking down at his own fingerless blue gloves, and noticed a small, red stain on the palm of the deep blue material of the item. It must have been from when he had tried to clean Kai's lip, but had ended up...

"I found it sickening at first, that I felt I needed to justify my existence with the existence of another," Tala hissed, breaking Tyson from his contemplation. "But that's what it feels like… you feel as if you can't live life without the other…"

"Don't talk like that Tala," Tyson said haltingly, now knowing whom the redhead was talking about, and feeling a little more than defensive.

"Jealousy," Tala again interrupted Tyson, and the world champ glared. "It's plastered all over your face. I knew it as soon as you realized whom I was talking about." Tala's gaze locked with Tyson's, and the ice blue eyes pierced through to Tyson's very soul.

"You're in love with Hiwatari, aren't you?"

Tyson's face flushed violently and he opened his mouth to reply, but Tala smirked and held out a hand to halt him. "You needn't answer. Once again, your facial expression, your body language, everything about you gives away the answer."

"... What about you?" Tyson asked hesitantly, his feet shuffling uncomfortably against the carpeted floor.

"I never understood him. I somehow always knew I'd never be the one to understand him, to bring him out of the dark and into the light. His hand was always reaching for help, but I never had the strength to pull him away from the danger. You were different… he trusted you, although he had a bizarre way of showing it, and even if he had a million offers for help, your hand would be the one he would reach out for, the one he would know he could rely on to be trustworthy and strong in his times of need."

"Tala..." Tyson murmured, noticing at the strained look on Tala's face and realizing he was pouring his heart out, and putting his trust in him.

"So, all I ask is this, Kinomiya; make sure you're always there to catch him when he falls. I think that's all he's ever wanted from you."

"And that's a promise I swear I'll hold true," Tyson nodded, and Tala smirked.

"And now, Kinomiya, it's your choice what path you take from this moment on."

Tyson nodded, and stood up slowly. "I think I'll need some time to figure out where I go from here."

"Understandable," Tala nodded, finally letting himself lean against the back of the couch.

"I'm going back to my hotel room. Are you coming?"

"I think I want some time alone."

"That's fine then," Tyson grinned at the teen who seemed to have been so many things to him; a threat, a rival, and in a strange way, a friend. "Thank you, Tala."

"You gave me your word, and that's all I want. Oh..." Tala smirked at Tyson, "And make sure you fight your best when we face each other in our next beybattle, so I know I've beaten you when you're at your limits."

"You can count on it," Tyson grinned, and with that he spun around and headed for the elevator.

**-X-**

Kai stared down at the thin strip of paper he had just finished writing on. Was this cowardice? He didn't think so, seeing that he'd taken more precautions to make sure that this time, Tyson was the only possible recipient. He gazed down at the delicate envelope, ran his fingers over the corners of the paper, thought what would happen when Tyson read it's contents...

There was nothing left for him to lose. He stood, with the letter delicately held between his fingers. He looked at the old letter, and compared it to its newer counterpart, and decided that this way was definitely better. He wanted to tell Tyson himself. He nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He then left his room, and was all too soon in front of the same familiar door, where everything had last time managed to go wrong. He slid the thin paper under the door carefully, and crept back down the hallway and into the shadows.

**-X-**

Tala was still sitting cross-legged in the common room, on the same couch on which he had talked to Tyson. It had been nearly 30 minutes since Tyson had left, and he hadn't moved since. He wished to remain alone, and had totally ignored the hotel staff that had come over to ask if he was all right. A sudden chime caused him to open his eyes and stare at the clock; it was nine o'clock. The hotel's front doors would be closing shortly, but the other facilities would remain open for anyone who was late getting back from wherever they had been for the day. He hadn't eaten lunch or dinner, yet he didn't feel particularly hungry at all. He assumed weariness was overriding his hunger and thirst.

The front door of the hotel clicked open, and Tala's eyes moved to lock onto the entrance. Hilary of the BBA Revolution slipped through the door, and looked around wearily. In her left hand were many plastic shopping bags from various chain stores and speciality shops that were only found in this city, and in her right hand was her hotel entry key and a small purple handbag of sorts, which, in accordance to the full shopping bags, looked relatively empty.

Her chocolate-brown eyes fell on Tala and she raised an eyebrow.

"Tala Ivanov from the Demolition Boys, right?"

Tala nodded. Hilary frowned and folded her heavily laden arms.

"You really should be heading up towards your hotel room. The entire thing will be closed soon."

Tala scowled at the brunette. "I don't need you telling me what to do."

Hilary glared at the Russian angrily. "Well, excuse me for showing any concern for you!"

Irritated by the presence of the teenage girl, Tala got to his feet and faced Hilary, who also stood her ground and looked fiercely at the redhead.

"I didn't _ask _for your concern girl, and I don't need it. I'm down here so I can get some time to think, so leave me be!"

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm so sorry for showing some human decency! It would help you to be a little more trusting and a whole lot more grateful for what people do for you!" Hilary sniffed indignantly. "Anyway, I'm hungry, so I'd like to get to the kitchens before they shut for the night."

"Fine with me. In fact, I think I'll head over that way, too."

A muscle in Hilary's temple twitched. She knew Tala was trying to get under her skin for annoying him, and unfortunately he was succeeding. She could hear his soft footfalls behind her and she snarled under her breath. She found her way to the dining area, and was thankful to see that the large metal buffet tables were still in the middle of the room. At this point, Tala overtook Hilary and snatched a plate from the pile next to the buffet, scooped a small portion of plain spaghetti onto his plate, put about a teaspoonful of bolognaise sauce on top of that, grabbed a fork, and sat down at the nearest table.

"Not much of an eater, are you?" Hilary commented. Tala ignored her, and used his fork to pick up one strand of spaghetti and place it cautiously in his mouth. Hilary rolled her eyes and scooped some fried rice onto her place. She grabbed a fork, as she'd never been particularly skilful with chopsticks, and sat down opposite Tala. They ate in silence; Hilary constantly looked up to see if Tala was about to strike up conversation, but the pale teen seemed too interested in eating his spaghetti strand by strand. However, they were finishing at almost the same pace, due to Tala's slow eating.

Hilary sighed and stirred her rice with the prongs of her fork, before opening her mouth to speak.

"Ivanov?"

Tala grunted, which Hilary assumed was an acknowledgment of her existence, so she continued.

"What were you doing in the common room alone? I can tell the reason you gave me isn't the whole story."

Tala blinked, and placed his fork on his place. "I had spoken with Kinomiya a short time prior to your arrival on the matter of Hiwatari."

"Kai... you… 'liked' him didn't you?" Hilary asked hesitantly.

Tala's right eyebrow twitched upwards.

"You knew?"

"I first noticed at Monday's match."

"You pay that much attention to what I do?" Tala asked, amusement in his voice.

"Even though I don't beyblade, I'm still a member of the BBA Bladebreakers! I keep an eye on all the teams. I have to prove my spot on the team," Hilary nodded firmly. "And don't worry..."

Tala looked up to face Hilary and she grinned uncertainly. "No-one is ever truly alone. There will always be someone thinking about you and keeping you close to their heart."

At this point, Hilary finished her fried rice. She stood up, leaving the plate on her side of the table.

"Maybe I'll talk to you again sometime, Tala."

Hilary walked out of the room, leaving Tala to contemplate what she had just said.

**-X-**

"Tyson? Tyson, wake up!"

Dark russet eyes forced themselves open. Tyson yawned deeply and scratched the top of his head, ruffling his hair into an even untidier state. He winced when light from the small window of the room his him directly in the face.

Hilary and Daichi rolled their eyes and looked at each other hopelessly. Hilary grabbed Tyson by the collar of his nightshirt, and leaned down to holler in his ear. **"Tyson! You have a letter!"**

"Huhn?" Tyson grunted. Daichi waved the white envelope in front of the world champ's face, and Tyson snatched it irritably from the shorter boy's grasp.

"_Thank you, _Daichi," Tyson snapped, looking at the front of the envelope, on which 'Tyson Kinomiya, private and confidential' was scrawled. He flicked the letter open and scanned it carefully, making sure to take in every word. Hilary and Daichi watched him carefully, and they could see more and more colour rising to Tyson's face with every passing moment. Tyson finally reached the bottom of the letter, and he did a double take. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table; it read 9:34. He groaned in a frustrated way.

"Holy crap! I'm late!" Tyson wailed. He bouncing off the bed and grabbed the grey jeans he had worn the previous day, yanking them over his boxers.

"Late for what?" Hilary implored curiously. Tyson just shook his head madly and scrabbled around the room for a clean t-shirt.

"No time! I've gotta get going!" Tyson said, finally finding a spare shirt. He grabbed his red jacket off the floor by his bed and quickly placed the letter on his bed. "See you guys later!"

"Aren't you gonna have breakfast or anything first?" Daichi asked, but Tyson simply shook his head and ran for the door. As soon as they heard the front door shut, both Hilary and Daichi made a mad grab at the letter. Daichi's hand managed to close around it first, and Hilary snarled angrily. Using her spare hand, she dug her fingernail into the soft skin of Daichi's inner arm. The boy yelped and released his grip on the piece of paper, and Hilary claimed it triumphantly.

"You crazy woman!" Daichi hollered, massaging his arm tenderly. "Do you honestly care that much?"

"Yes, in fact I do!" Hilary sniffed, unfolding the letter carefully and reading it. Immediately, her face turned red and she squealed in delight. "Aww... that's so _sweet!_"

"What?" Daichi asked, and Hilary handed him the letter. He read it, and his face broke into a huge grin. "I say we go and watch!"

"Leave them alone," Hilary rolled her eyes. "Honestly, your immaturity amazes me, Daichi."

"Humph... **fine**," Daichi growled, placing the letter back on the bed and following Hilary out of the room.

_(Letter)_

_Tyson,_

_Meet me on the roof of the hotel at a quarter past nine. There's something I finally have the courage to tell you._

_Kai._

_(End letter)_

**-X-**

Tyson reached the roof and immediately doubled over, panting for breath, having run the entire way there. As soon as he had regained his breath, he looked around for Kai. From his point of view, the rooftop was utterly deserted. Perhaps Kai had left after waiting twenty minutes for him to show up... Tyson clenched his fist angrily... had he lost his second chance?

Tyson was so lost in his own thoughts that he almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around, only to come face-to-face with Kai. Kai's face showed no emotion, but his head was swimming with relief.

"I thought you weren't coming," Kai stated simply, his hand still on Tyson's shoulder. The shorter teen laughed, nervousness unintentionally entering his voice.

"You know me, Kai… I never get up that early," Tyson grinned, and was relieved to see that Kai smiled back. His stomach gave a happy jolt.

"I should have known..." Kai trailed off and stared at Tyson, who also seemed to have lost himself in Kai's gaze. "Tyson..."

"Yes, Kai?" Tyson replied slowly, vaguely aware that the hand Kai had placed on his shoulder was now making it's way around his back. Kai didn't reply; it was if time had frozen once again. Kai took in a sharp breath, and Tyson stared at him, but nothing could compare to the surprise he got when Kai wrapped both of his arms tightly around Tyson's body, drawing him closer. The midnight-haired teen let out an exclamation of surprise, but was cut short when Kai pressed his lips against Tyson's hungrily. Tyson's eyes widened momentarily in shock, but he relaxed shortly afterwards. He slid his arms around Kai's neck and ran his fingers through the back of his hair. Kai let out a soft grunt of approval and stumbled towards the door that led back down to the hotel...

'No. Not yet...' Tyson thought, tugging on Kai's bottom lip. He couldn't be thinking of going back yet...

Tyson felt the cool metal of the door against his back, and Kai forced his right leg between both of Tyson's, pinning him in place. Tyson broke away at this point and gasped for air, the added stimulation being a little too much. Kai smirked at Tyson's flushed cheeks and shifted the leg he had been using to hold the younger boy in place. Tyson's face went bright pink and a short moan came from his throat, and Kai broke away, and took a few steps back to give Tyson space, but Tyson simply grinned and walked back over to him, and engulfed him in a tight hug.

"That's... what I needed to tell you, Tyson," Kai said, putting his arm around Tyson's waist in a careful return of the hug. Tyson grinned cheekily up and Kai and tilted his head.

"Why didn't you do it sooner?"

**10 Years Later...**

A short, blue-haired boy of about seven years ran through the corridors of the Beyblade Stadium, desperately trying to get to the main stage for his qualifying round.

"C'mon Dad! I'm going to be late for the qualifiers!" the boy yelled back to the older man, obviously his father.

Tyson grinned at his son's enthusiasm, as the kid rounded the nearest corner and disappeared from sight. A taller child, about the same age as the other, snorted in disgust and folded his arms across his chest.

"Immature..." he muttered, reaching up to brush his two-toned hair from his eyes.

"Leave him alone, Gou," Kai commented, watching his son carefully. Gou shrugged and grunted. Kai crossed his arms and looked at Tyson. "His indifference amazes me." Gou glanced at Kai in response and Tyson grinned. "The resemblance is just uncanny." Kai smiled lovingly at Tyson and Gou rolled his eyes.

"On the other hand, I think I'm going to go up ahead with Makoto."

Kai and Tyson smirked as the boy hurried to catch up to his brother. Kai sighed in a dramatic, world-weary manner and Tyson looked at him questioningly.

"Sometimes I wonder why we went through all that red tape to end up with them," Kai sighed, but he was smirking to show he was kidding. "The surrogate mothers, the official adoption…"

"Aww, come on, you know you loved the nappy changing and bottle feeds at two in the morning," Tyson joked, putting his arm around Kai's shoulders in a faux-comforting gesture. "You were always an early riser anyway; I thought you'd like the head start."

"Dad!" Gou's voice came from around the corner. Kai smiled and broke away from Tyson, instead grabbing his hand, and made his way towards his son... **their **son.

Kai and Tyson rounded the corner to find Gou leaning against the wall of the hallway, and Makoto standing in the middle of the corridor, staring at the other child in the middle of the hallway.

Kai and Tyson looked at each other, and then back to the kid. She had dark pink hair and amber eyes that were extremely catlike. She was donned in a pink robe and black shorts, and her hair was done up into two long braided pigtails. Tyson nudged Kai in the ribs and looked back at the girl, who was standing in the middle of the hallway with her arms behind her back. Kai nodded and then said softly, "Who'd have thought?"

Makoto, being the energetic boy he was, was getting rather tired of this staring competition, so he took a step towards the girl and smiled. "Hey, little girl, are you lost?"

The change was almost immediate; the golden eyes narrowed into tiny, angry-looking slits, and her teeth clenched angrily, revealing some rather pointy canines.

_"Don't call me little," _she hissed angrily at Makoto, who looked back at her nervously, and took a step back.

The pink-haired girl took another step towards Makoto, and Makoto shuffled back, much to the amusement of his parents and brother, and a familiar male voice came from around the corner at the opposite end of the hallway.

"Rin? Where did you go?"

After another instantaneous change, the petite girl, apparently Rin, ran back to the end of the hallway and beamed at whoever had called her. Her parents; a dark-haired man and a woman with bright pink hair that matched her daughter's, came into view.

"Rin, don't run off like that!" the woman reprimanded, and Rin put a guilty, sorry look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Mama."

"Mao, you shouldn't be so hard on her," the man observed.

"And you shouldn't be too lenient, Rei," Mao replied dryly.

"Papa!" Rin wailed, tugging on Rei's hand, "That boy called me little!"

Rin pointed accusingly at Makoto, and the boy gulped and ran back to Tyson, and hid behind his legs.

Mao and Rei both looked down the adjoining hallway and grinned. Tyson raised one arm in greeting and Kai nodded.

Rin glanced at both Makoto and Gou in turn, but finally turned her attention to Gou, because Makoto tried to hide every time she looked at him. "Are you two competing today?"

Gou nodded. Rin sighed and placed one hand to her forehead. "Oh well, I'll just have to make sure I beat both of you."

Gou mumbled something under his breath, and Makoto clung tightly to Tyson's right leg.

"I'll see you both there then, I guess," Rin shrugged and walked back to her parents, who were still shooting glances between themselves, as well as Tyson and Kai. "Come on Mama, I'm gonna be late for the first round." Rin then grabbed both her parents' hands and dragged them down the hallway they were standing in. Rei managed to wave goodbye with his spare hand before he was completely out of sight. Once he was, Kai laughed to himself, and Tyson looked at him in question.

"Somehow... I always knew that kid was going to have a bad attitude," Kai said, and Tyson nodded in agreement. Makoto had come from behind Tyson, and Gou was looking at him with an expression of superiority plastered all over his face.

"Man... girls are so weird!" Makoto groaned.

"Come on, you two," Kai said, steering both his sons in the direction that Rin, Rei and Mao had headed in. "You're going to be late if we stay here much longer."

**-X-**

The tournament eventually reached its final round; and the match was between Makoto and Gou, as Rin had lost to Makoto in the Semi-Finals, despite him still being scared of her. The girl was seated between her mother and Tyson, and was watching the first round very carefully.

"Well, they're both good bladers," she observed, her own Driger blade clutched in her right hand, "But I think Makoto's gonna win."

"He has to be good to beat you, sweetie," Rei doted, and Mao, Kai and Tyson sighed. Rin just grinned.

"I only lost because that one Ultimate Storm attack caught me off-guard... but I'll get him next time, Papa!" Rin said.

Kai shifted uncomfortably, and Tyson looked over at him.

"If you guys don't mind," Kai said, addressing Rei, Mao and Rin, "I'd like to get a better views of my sons beybattling."

"He wants to decide which one should be his favourite," Tyson joked, and Kai looked at him cynically.

"You're coming too, Tyson."

"Err... okay Kai," Tyson replied, looking towards the three Chinese people on his other side. "You guys don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not," Mao replied. "Go ahead!"

"Thanks," Tyson smiled gratefully, and followed Kai to the end of the row. They both headed up towards the balcony that overlooked the beystadium, and Kai watched as Makoto just managed to knock Dranzer out of the stadium.

**"And this round goes to Makoto!" **the familiar DJ exclaimed, looking up into the stands and along the balconies, finally finding Tyson and Kai. He waved at them, and they waved back.

"Daichi was born for this job, I think..." Kai mused, "He has a loud mouth."

Tyson grinned, and watched as Gou retrieved Dranzer from the bottom of the dish. Makoto seemed to be doing some sort of victory dance, and was hopping from one leg to the other.

The man looked away from his son's bizarre antics to find Kai staring at him. "What wrong?"

"The remind me of us when we were younger," Kai stated simply. "I suppose I'm glad... that they took up the sport that we dedicated ourselves to."

"Without it, we never would have met," Tyson observed, as his sons readied their blades for the next round. "They wouldn't be here..." Tyson paused for a moment, considering his word. "Kai?"

"Hn?" Kai turned away from the battle to look at his love, just as Gou was ordering Dranzer to use End of Fire to finish Dragoon off.

"You've given me so much over the years, Kai... you taught me to believe in myself, to stand on my own two feet and walk... you never let me lose site of what was important," Tyson smiled. "You gave me a family, you gave me someone to love. You're the only one I ever loved, Kai."

Kai looked mildly surprised at Tyson's words, but eventually smiled and nodded. And as he watched Makoto and Gou start the final, tie-breaking round, Tyson spoke again.

"Just to think Kai, we got together only because of that simple letter you sent me..."

Kai opened his mouth to say something, but smiled, and kept his revered silence as he stood with the one he loved, and watched his sons.

He was truly satisfied with his life. And to think, all this _had_ come to be through one letter...

**-X-**

Many thanks to Flareod, Rumi, AG, Mary, Ranma, Glay and everyone else who encouraged me and gave me ideas. Thanks to my reviewers and to the people who have me on their author alerts and favourites; I'm glad you enjoyed this fic.

Makoto, Gou and Rin are all real characters from the end of the manga, and they are really Tyson, Kai and Rei and Mao's children. I hope you enjoyed their guest appearances.

Thanks for reading!


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